Wolves were heavily linked with a move for Stoke City centre-back Harry Souttar in 2021 and with the Australian defender now starring at the World Cup, the Old Gold will surely regret not signing him.

It was suggested on a number of occasions last year that Wolves could look to prise the six-foot-six titan away from the Championship after some eye-catching performances in the second tier.

The 24-year-old picked up an anterior cruciate ligament injury last November which likely brought an end to Wolves' interest but he has recovered in time for the World Cup and is now impressing for knockout stage hopefuls Australia.

After a 4-1 defeat to holders France in their opening fixture, the Socceroos earned an impressive 1-0 win over Tunisia earlier this week to give themselves a real chance of qualification for the knockout stage, with a draw against Denmark in their next fixture likely to be enough should France beat Tunisia.

The Stoke star was instrumental to Graham Arnold's side earning their first World Cup win since 2010 and will leave Wolves perhaps wishing they had bought him ahead of his long-term injury in 2021.

As per Sofascore, the former Dundee United man would earn an impressive 7.7/10 rating for his performance, which was the joint-highest of any outfield player to feature in the game, with only Aussie goalkeeper Mat Ryan rated higher.

Souttar was a rock at the back for Australia, contributing six clearances, three blocks and one last-man tackle in a monumental defensive display crucial to his side earning a clean sheet and three points.

BBC commentator Danny Murphy described Souttar as "like Superman" during their coverage of the game, while journalist Sacha Pisani labelled him an "absolute beast," so it seems clear that he is a highly-rated defender on his day.

If he continues his World Cup form with Stoke in the Championship when the season resumes, it will surely only be a matter of time before Premier League sides begin showing an interest in him once again.

Considering Wolves' defensive woes so far this campaign, which have played a big part in them being bottom of the Premier League table, they will surely be wishing they had brought Souttar to Molineux in 2021.